Cake, Wolfe style
by Ryanfan14
Summary: After Ryan's fired he takes a small vacation and visits his childhood friends who live in baltimore and just happen to own a bakery. Ryan's wacky experience with his...unique friends and their bakery. Will he ever get his job back? Does he want it back?
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I own NOTHING, no recognizable character from CBS or the real people my OCs are based on so please don't sue! You'd probably spend more in legal fees than what you'd get anyway seeing as I'm annoyingly broke (yet again).**_

_**A/N: I've based my OCs on the folks at Charm City Cakes you know from the show Ace of Cakes.**_

Ryan was pumped he was going to visit his childhood friend Jeff for a week. He'd decided right after he was fired he needed a break. As soon as he'd walked out those glass doors he'd know that that his life had changed forever. Even if he somehow managed to get his job back(he had no clue how) they'd disliked him when they'd had no reason to now that they had a reason they'd make his life hell. He didn't care if it made no sense to go on a vacation after just being fired. He had tried living his life by logic and look where that'd gotten him, miserable and jobless with a scared soul. Besides when putting a gun up to your head and pulling the trigger was actually starting to sound appealing something had to be done. So he was jumping on the next plane to Baltimore, well the next plane to New York then he'd catch the train to Baltimore. He knew that he should be upset, that he should be crushed and at first he had been. On the way home he'd cursed the fact that he'd ever set foot inside a casino, cursed Stetler for firing him, and cursed Horatio for not helping him. As soon as his apartment door slammed shut behind him he'd bawled his eyes out, but as soon as the sobs had ended he'd realized that the sky hadn't fallen, the world hadn't ended. What was so important to him about the Crime Lab anyway? Helping people? Making a difference? Near the end it's felt like no matter how many cases he solved there would always be another crime scene, another mangled body. He felt like an interloper there an unwanted replacement; they treated him like some sort of walking crime analysis machine. So what if it broke? Get rid of it, replace it. Who cares what's wrong with it, it doesn't work throw it out with the rest of the trash. They probably were glad to have finally gotten rid of him they had obviously been trying to get him to leave from day one by giving him the cold shoulder, but he had hung on, then become depressed and then screwed it all up with his attempts to make something out of his monotonous life to feel like he was actually living instead of being stuck in endless gray…yeah that had worked out splendidly. He had screwed up, but hey it wasn't all his fault they'd pushed him toward the edge all he'd done was fall off it.

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His hot breath fogged up the window as he sat there nose pressed against the glass silently willing the train to go faster. Faster, faster, faster, hurry up. He was already antsy constantly shifting in his seat. The sun was setting casting a beautiful pink backdrop for the ever changing scenery as the skyline of Baltimore came into sight. His heart leapt in delight at the sight, this was home, it wasn't where he lived, it wasn't where he'd grown up, but it was where his friends were and that was all that mattered. His insane, weird, and crazy friends Jeff, of all things, owned a bakery and Becca Claire was the bakery manager, while Shane was a cake decorator. He chuckled at the though after all it'd been HIS mother who'd owned the bakery while Jeff's dad owned a health club, yet Jeff was the Chef and he was the, well he had been, the CSI although now he was qualified as the unemployed weirdo. He found himself laughing at the pure irony of the situation. "A little too much ambition Wolfe," he thought. He pulled out his book, a full collection of Edgar Allen Poe, it reminded him of the time in fifth grade when they'd had to recite poetry if front of the entire class and Becca had recited Annabel Lee, and flipped to the Tell Tale Heart there was just something about a story about the insane madman trying to convince you he wasn't insane while talking about killing a man and dismembering the corpse that he found amusing in his current situation. Just as he finished the poem, he'd always been an extremely fast reader, the Conductor's voice boomed out over the loud speaker announcing that they were coming into the station. He stood up, straightened his coat as his OCD dictated, and then grabbed his luggage down from the top rack. Slinging his duffle, full of books and other thing with which to occupy himself first on the plane to New York and then the train to Baltimore, over his shoulder and dragging his suitcase behind him, he staggered a little as the train lurched into station. The Conductor's voice boomed over the loud speaker again with instructions for departing the train. Ryan shifted impatiently from foot to foot as he waited for the door to open. When the train door hissed open as the train gave one final lurch as it settled into the station, He was gladly swept along with the crowd as everyone headed to depart the train. No sooner had he stepped onto the platform then he was met by a squealing Becca in a spectacular flying hug. He laughed and hugged his old friend back as he stumbled back a few steps in an attempt to keep his footing drawing sounds of protest from the people behind him who were trying to go foreword because they didn't have an overenthusiastic hugger hindering their progress. She reluctantly released him so they could get out of the way. He grinned as he caught sight of Jeff and Shane waiting in one of the more out of the way areas of the train station. Jeff holding a box that contained, more likely than not, a cake. Jeff yanked the box open and revealed what was really more like edible art than a cake. Ryan frowned at the silent poke at his situation it represented then laughed at the comical twist it put to it. It was a giant MD-PD badge with a stack of poker chips and a deck of cards resting against the edges with a tiny figurine of himself, most likely made of modeling chocolate, standing in the middle scratching it's head with a look of "How'd the hell this happen" plastered on it's little face. It sported an outdated hair cut of long brown hair, but other than that it looked exactly like him even getting the facial expression right.

"Gee thanks," he said laughing before smacking Jeff lightly on the shoulder with his fist, Jeff just laughed back and Ryan got the impression that it'd been his intention to make the cake slightly obnoxious

"Did you think I'd let you live this down?" Jeff asked grinning from ear to ear. His blue eyes sparkling mischievously, as he tossed his great big head to one side slinging the shaggy blonde hair out of his face his goatee wrinkling to match his smiling face taunting his old friend.

"I was hanging onto foolish hope." Ryan answered groaning and chuckling at the same time.

"Hey, nice to see you again" Shane said emoting about as much happiness as he was capable of emoting which, in his case, was a little less flatter than usual monotone, but Ryan knew him well enough to know that just because you could barely tell didn't mean he wasn't happy. Shane's short black hair was spiked up into a sort of Mohawk thing, he shifted from one foot to another his heavily tattoo muscles practically creaked with stiffness protesting the movement. Shane had the habit of standing motionless with his arms crosses across his chest his brown eyes unfathomable pools. A skill that Ryan himself had tried to copy, although he never was quite able to mimic the level of motionless that Shane easily achieved, and he knew he'd coupled it with the odd habit of cocking his head to one side that he's unknowingly picked up from Becca.

Becca just squealed again and started bouncing up and down while clapping her hands her head tilted to one side "Yay, the gang's all together again," Her flame red curls bounced around her shoulders, her emerald eyes shining with happiness tears of pure joy welling up in the corners, He pearly white smile almost blinded him. It was impossible for him to see her smiling face and not be happy too.

It was like nothing had happened, like nothing had ever gone wrong, like he was still just a high school kid filled with wonder hanging out with his close friends before he'd learned that just because people spoke pretty words like "protect and serve" it didn't meant that they weren't effected and poisoned by the stain of politics, instead of bonding together for a common goal they held grudges, and fought against each other for ambition's sake, and held onto first impressions even when they were wrong. He should've known he would've been fired eventually. He had a hard enough time just understanding the rules much less playing the game.

But even after all the crap he'd been through it felt good just know that

Jeff was still Jeff…

Shane was still Shane…

And Becca was still plain old Becca.

All was right with the world or it was as far as Ryan Wolfe was concerned in that moment. They left the train station happily joking and laughing then when they got into the parking lot they all piled into Jeff's white Honda Accord. Jeff in the driver's seat, Shane in the passenger seat, and Ryan and Becca sandwiched into the back seat along with a pile of Jeff's junk…and the cake.

"Why do you have a snowboard in here?" Ryan complained trying to shove the offending object out of the way, but only succeeding in whacking himself in the head with it.

"Ain't it supposed to snow or something?" Shane wondered letting the question hang in the air more to himself that answering Ryan.

"Yeah there's a snowstorm tomorrow," Becca confirmed as she tried un-press herself from the window she was trapped against as Ryan battled against the mountain of junk that had them trapped there.

"See just in case." Jeff called over his shoulder.

"You have that snowboard in here even when it's 80 degrees out side!" Becca protested

"Just in case!" Jeff echoed laughing.

"This crap is SOOO like you!!" Ryan cried in exaggerated annoyance. "And what the hell is this?" he said gingerly picking up a dirty sweat shirt that had fallen out of the pile. It reeked and looked as if it might come alive at any moment. Jeff's car was like the ultimate nightmare for OCD people. He quickly, even though it went against all of his compulsions to clean and organize, tossed the offending article of clothing back on top of the monstrous pile of junk, and sat there as the urge to grab it and fold it tugged at his subconscious even though he REALY didn't want to touch it any more than he absolutely had to.

"What's what?" Jeff asked glancing up at the rearview mirror lazily trying to see what he meant.

"Ever heard of a wonderful new invention called a washing machine? Or are you hoping this sweat shirt's gonna get up and wash its self?" Ryan clarified jabbing his finger at the object of his annoyance.

"I don't know it looks like it might." Becca joked, her cheerful laughter echoing in the small space that made Ryan VERY glad he wasn't claustrophobic along with his OCD, his fear of dog, his fear of heights… well you get the point.

"It's not that dirty!" Jeff protested blissfully ignorant of his car's disgraceful state of impending disaster.

"It looks like a junkyard threw up in your car" Shane observed flatly

"Does not!!" Jeff shot back his blue eyes widening.

"Your puppy dog eyes hold no power over me!!!" Ryan piped up form the back seat. Sparking a fit of laughter from all involved, well more like a dry chuckle from Shane.

"Why don't we ask the ultimate authority on cleanliness, Wolfe?" Becca said mediating between the different parties involved before it could dissolve into a full blow chaotic witty comment war between the four of them, as she turned to Ryan expectantly.

Ryan broke into a lopsided grin "Jeff Sanford's car" here he paused for a dramatic silence causing Becca to become annoyed and so she told him none too gently to "Hurry it the hell up" "Has received the official OCD seal of disapproval." He glanced at the snowboard. "Extreme disapproval" ha added.

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"My poor baby" Alex thought sadly as she drove her car with a sense of fierce determination and strength of purpose daring anyone to get in her way. She felt so guilty letting her baby deal with this alone for so as long as she had, He'd been fired yesterday morning for crying out loud, and it was already around 8 o'clock today. She felt terrible but work had been so terribly busy that she'd had to pull a double, besides she didn't think he'd take kindly if she'd shown up before he was ready to talk. She pulled into the parking structure of Ryan's apartment complex. She entered the double doors and took the elevator to the Fifth floor and then walked to the apartment at the end of the hall. She frowned when she saw the piece of paper tapped to the door although she couldn't read it from here she assumed it was a note telling people not to bother him. She steeled herself against the state she would most likely find her darling boy in, but all her best laid plans were shattered with three neatly written words

Gone on Vacation

She shook her head she never would be able to understand the way that crazy boy's mind works, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed his number she didn't know what was going on with him…but she would soon find out.

_**Like it? Hate it? This was SUPPOSED to be an oneshot but like I've stated before damn my random mind and the stupid idea fairy.**_


	2. Chapter 2

The future is never certain, but Ryan Wolfe's future had never been as uncertain as when he'd been forced from the crime lab. A friend will sit with you when the future is uncertain, a good friend will tell you to "get your ass up and get over it" and then demand you go somewhere with them and if you protest they'll tell you "Stop winning like a little bitch" and drag you out the door with them anyway whether you want to go or not.

Ryan smiled to himself as he plopped down onto Becca's cream colored and oh so comfortable couch. He'd never realized just how true that statement really was until now. Somehow even though what he'd THOUGHT he'd wanted to do was to lock himself in his apartment, dive underneath the covers and never come out he had to admit he was feeling a hell of a lot better now that he was here.

His annoyance returned as that brought his attention to EXACTLY what tactic was used to get him here. Trust his friends to go directly to threatening him. They asked him…no told him to get to Baltimore at the next possible time or else THEY were going to jump on the next plane to Miami and quote "drag your scruffy ass back outta there and maybe stop by the damn lab to cuss them out for good measure" he might have been tempted to dare fate on the "scruffy ass" part but he knew full well they were completely serious about the crime lab.

"Yo! Ry, Wolfster? Time to wake up form lala land!" He faintly heard Jeff call but he decided to ignore him cause he didn't fell like having to open his eyes as he'd just started to dose off on the velvety couch. "We're gonna eat the cake without you!"

"What kind is it?" Ryan mumbled tired from all his traveling today.

"German chocolate." Jeff replied smugly

"Like hell you are!!" Ryan shouted leaping up and bounding over the back of the couch making a bee line for the cake with the intentions to score himself a nice big chunk.

"Hunh, ask him to spend time with us we have to threaten him, mention cake…" Becca said trailing off in mock anger.

"What its German chocolate!! The Germans make good chocolate!!" Ryan countered "and it's in cake form!! Give me a break."

"Chocolate Junkie" Shane stated.

Ryan paused, he wasn't sure if that was a joke or an accusation since it was in the same annoying monotone as always…of course it was Shane so…no not a joke. "Maybe" he replied deciding it didn't really matter.

Just as he was about to grab the knife and make the cake look like a Picasso piece, an annoying buzz filled the air, it took him five seconds to realize that it was his phone going off in the cargo pocket of his shorts, it took him another seven to check the caller ID see it was Alex and actually get it up to his ear.

"What's up!" he greeted her cheerfully.

"Where are you?" she questioned in her mother voice. One that managed to be tender yet terrifying, at the same time, it really was a feat of nature.

"Friend's house, Baltimore, Maryland" He fired back the answer quickly feeling amazingly like he'd done something terribly wrong even though he was innocent, well kind of.

"May I ask why?" she continued in that same tone and he could almost see the icy stare she would have undoubtedly been fixing him with if they were having this conversation face to face

"It wasn't my idea!" he was quick to defend himself "I left a note!!"

"I read it!" she informed him "I'm standing right outside your door."

"Oh," he said

"So vacation?" she inquired.

"Yeah they threatened to come to Miami if I didn't" he explained shooting a glare in Becca's general direction since he was almost sure she was the instigator of this little adventure although he didn't imagine the others needed much convincing to mess with him.

"I take it that wouldn't have been a good thing" she said her voice softening a little

"Let's just say things would've been…interesting for you at the crime lab." He said chuckling

"Planning to raise hell were they?" she said approvingly

"The devil himself would flee from the havoc these three can wreak." He answered solemnly

"So there are three of them?" she said quickly picking up on the new information.

"Yup and… don't you dare eat that cake!!" Step away from the cake Jeff." Ryan said noticing Jeff lurking alarmingly close to the cake he had yet to fetch a piece from.

"You're no fun!" Jeff complained grabbing the knife anyway "It's not like I'll eat it all!"

"Knowing you you'll DEFINENTLY eat it all, you're a bottomless pit! You stuff things into your mouth and they just go poof into the abyss!!" Ryan countered

Jeff just rolled his eyes.

"I get to keep little me." Ryan said giving up as he wasn't feeling up to a battle of wills right then.

"And I take it one of them is named Jeff, and eating cake." Alex said sounding fully amused

"Yeah they own a bakery, so they made me a cake." Ryan said glaring at Jeff who was contemplating the best way to cut the cake HIS cake, HIS delicious German chocolate cake, stupid Jeff.

"Well I expect pictures." She told him

"That translates into don't do anything stupid doesn't it?" Ryan asked.

"Bingo," she said hanging up.

"Freeze Jeff," Ryan said snapping a quick picture of the cake.

"What's that for?" Jeff asked.

"Alex" he answered rolling his eyes, Becca just laughed she'd heard his stories about the infamous Dr. Woods.

"Shall I take pictures for you" she offered.

"Why thank you." Ryan said grinning

"Don't I'm just making sure you don't leave anything out." She answered giving him an impish grin.

"Oh Joy." Ryan groaned

_**And another piece of the insanity falls into place and yes this is going somewhere. Where? Hmmm…you'll just have to read and find out won't you?**_


	3. Chapter 3

People say vacations are a time to relax…those people have never had to deal with Jeff Sanford. Ryan's current status in his Jeff related ordeal, losing cake war. It'd all started with an innocent enough argument about who was eating what piece of cake, both parties wanted the same piece, and both are incredibly stubborn for no apparent reason.

"You know what you can have it!" Jeff said grinning as he picked up the offending piece of cake and with out warning he brought it up, there was a flash of light as Becca snapped a picture, and then he brought it crashing down onto Ryan's head.

Ryan let out a mangled cry of shock as the spongy object crashed into his head it slid down the side of his face before falling to the floor leaving globs of icing in his hair and a streak of it down his face, Then let out an angry screech and grabbed his own piece of ammunition and brought it back to throw.

"You know it's tradition to actually eat the cake right?" Becca said before nearly collapsing into a fit of laughter camera at the ready as she snapped another picture.

Ryan let the cake fly, its destination? Jeff's head, Jeff ducked, where it ended up? Shane's head, oh shit.

"Uh, it was an accident," Ryan tried to reason with his enraged friend hands upraised in the air as he beat a quick retreat and fled in the other direction but he was soon cornered and captured.

Ryan sat grumbling under a heap of blankets on Becca's couch shivering after his impromptu and most certainly unwanted swim in the pool. Why'd Shane have to be so damn grumpy? A flash of light assaulted his eyes and he knew that Becca was being WAY too enthusiastic about the picture taking for his liking. Especially since he knew she'd be certain to make sure every single one of them was emailed to Alex. He loved Alex to death but he'd be happier if she wasn't informed of every stupid childish misadventure he and his friends got into.

His short chestnut hair clung to his forehead as he shook himself like a dog trying to dislodge it, "J-Just give me a piece of the d-d-damn cake." He said his teeth chattering from the cold. It was 39 degrees out side for crying out loud!

"Which piece?" Jeff inquired grinning at the havoc he'd wrecked.

"ANY D-D-DAMN PIECE!!" Ryan almost shouted at him in aggravation his teeth still chattering "and don't t-t-think this is o-over!"

"Boys and their stupid pride." Becca cried exasperatedly rolling her eyes

"Girls and their stupid voice of reason, ruining our fun!" Jeff retorted

"What fun? Getting thrown into a pool is not fun!" Ryan protested.

"It is for the people watching," Jeff answered as he headed over to the cake to get himself another piece and get Ryan one.

"That's my boys," Becca said plopping down by Ryan on the couch "or as I like to affectionately refer to them as idiot 1 and idiot 2"

"I resent that comment" Ryan replied giving her a mock glare.

"You resemble it more, trust me." Becca answered patting him on the shoulder laughing.

Becca watched Ryan carefully out of the corner of her eye as Jeff handed him his requested, demanded rather, piece of cake. She had to admit it was good to see him acting like a total idiot again instead of well a total asshole. It seemed like one moment he was bouncing of the walls more than ever totally pumped about his new job unwelcoming coworkers or not, he'd expressed the opinion to her that they'd get over it eventually you know sooner or later. The next it was all the bad side of Wolfe. You know the explosive temper, the tendency to be pigheaded and stubborn beyond belief among other things.

She mused over the fact that she thinks that his coworkers, and his constant feeling of not being good enough wore him down more than he'd ever admit, another thing to add to her extensive list of things about her childhood friend that annoyed the hell out of her is his borderline insane desire to NEVER, never except any help of any kind unless absolutely forced to.

She was just glad that the sides she liked were showing through again the funny laidback side, the teasing not-a-care-in-the-world-Wolfe. And it'd only taken him completely screwing up his career to manage it! Sheesh, he could be such a stubborn Jackass, but then he was back to the charming and sweet… right before she'd finally lost her temper and slapped him (or cussed him out because of the inconvenient and annoying fact that they were talking over a phone).

"He was like an annoying little brother" she thought he could be aggravating as hell, yet a blast to be around the next moment.

Schizophrenic Wolfe!!

"Oh well" she thought suddenly grinning as she though about the picture she'd gotten of Ryan flying through the air right before his unfortunate dip into her pool. She couldn't wait to send this to Alex she was almost certain from all the stories he'd told her, despite not having met the woman in person, that she'd get a kick out of it, and give Ryan a hard time.

**What do you think? The idea to do a part from Becca's point of view just randomly popped into my head after being stuck on this fic for a while I was listening to the radio at like 2am.**


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